1968: TOLKIEN on LORD OF THE RINGS | Release | Writers and Wordsmiths | BBC Archive

J. R. R. Tolkien speaks to John Ezard about his extraordinarily popular Lord of the Rings series of fantasy novels. The author touches upon their genesis and themes, his fondness for invented languages - and how they are often misinterpreted.

This clip is from Release: Tolkien in Oxford. Originally broadcast 30 March, 1968.

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[jyrhds]

"I made a mistake, didn't I." While writing in a language he created. Breathtaking

[MARMALARD]

Thank you to the person who left that blank page on their exam paper!

[BobbyFlay]

This guy created a massive ripple in human existence. He should be proud of himself

[jonathangarrison]

"My writing is very inferior to the elves." Just think about the level of dedication and commitment to his beautiful, fictional world that statement demonstrates.

[Monster-gron]

He wrote elvish beautifully.
Imagine having him sign a book in elvish.

[akj]

One of the greatest creative minds to ever have walked this Earth.

[davidemagno]

"we all must die, but understanding this truth is never easy." some will never even think about this, he wrote an entire mythology and made that point, it so touching and human

[samgilley]

Find a person that looks at you the way tolkien looks at trees

[preoccupied]

Not mentioned here is the fact that he fought in WW1 at the Somme, seeing some of the worst devastation that can be inflicted on the world by humanity. And here he is, humble and hugely knowledgable and quietly reflective. A true genius, scholar and a gentleman

[mycenth]

"A star shines upon our meeting." When you realize the elves held Varda highest among the Valar because she was the one who created the stars in the sky and gifted special stars when the elves awoke. Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase.

[thevillageyid]

Watching Tolkien write with that pen is hypnotic.

[lizzie]

Love this interview :-D Thank you for posting.
Statements like "to see whether I had sufficient art, cunning and material" (to write something like LOTR) "I was rather puny, over-mothered timid little creature who was not much of a success, I became a fairly ordinary scholar." And then when they mention he elected to the role of professor he said "Owing to casualties in the war there were very few people to elect."
He comes across as very humble and not presumptuous at all. We now look back and see someone who many would say is the father of modern fantasy - and aside from that an amazing linguist who knew well over a dozen languages (not to mention making his own ones up that some people actually are interested to learn for fun) but his just so humble and matter-of-fact about it. You get the impression he's genuinely not sure why people are making a big deal out of anything he's achieved or created.

[karterestill]

After watching this I can totally see now how Ian modeled Gandalf after Tolkien himself. Wow.

[sebastiansvitek]

My all time favorite writer.
I don’t have enough words to describe my love towards Tolkien and his masterpiece LOTR.
Imagine having Tolkien as your teacher in a Oxford university

[gokayakcay]

Wish he could see how many fans he got now. Rip Tolkien, my favourite writer :')

[yankeegonesouth]

”Too big a job for me, really.” What humility!

[ramengirll]

In my mind, Tolkein has been very much a mythical character, as fantastical as the characters of his books are.. In my imagination, he resembles an old grey beard like Gandalf writing the history of the world and it's cultures since their inception. This is actually the very first time I have seen his face haha.

[akiyamach]

This video is so precious...

My precious...

[kaomicruce]

“I eventually became a very ordinary scholar..”
His modesty always makes my heart smile. ❤

[jackinabox]

And to think, people compare GRRM and JKR to this man. He is untouchable. The father of modern fantasy. All tabletop games, video games, movies, books, tv shows...all stem from this legendary man. He was indeed one of the greatest creative minds to ever walk the Earth.